Hammond: UK and France 'natural partners' in defence

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said Britain and France are "natural partners for defence co-operation" after the Prime Minister announced a series of deals.

Mr Hammond said in a statement:

We have made substantial progress since the Lancaster House Treaty was signed in 2010 and today we have committed ourselves to go further still.

The agreements we have reached at this Summit will improve the inter-operability of our forces, enhance our joint equipment procurement and build on our capacity to support security and stability in places such as Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.